"It's disappointing, sure, but we all saw it coming," said the insider. "Realistically, I think a lot of people can see it's technically a great system, but people just don't have the cash to shell out for the same game twice.

"A lot will be waiting for a true system seller before taking the plunge, or, more likely, be happier continuing to pay 69p for dozens of mobile games. The market has changed."

Despite reports of modest hardware sales across the board, the PS Vita and its launch software is currently dominating Amazon's video game charts.

"14 of the top 20 positions in our video games pre-order chart are held by the PlayStation Vita console, games and accessories, which clearly illustrates the level of excitement that we are seeing around the product," said Liz Hosmer, manager of video games with the online retailer.

"The release of a console is always big news and the buzz created around the new technology and enhanced gameplay has ensured that the PlayStation Vita is a bestseller in our charts before it has even been released."

The PlayStation Vita arrived in Europe on February 22. Analysts previously estimated that the console could go on to record 12.4 million global sales before the end of 2012, providing a price drop is introduced.